TWO businesses have been praised for their work restoring a beautiful spire and weathervane on the church roof - just in time for a wedding.

Holy Trinity Church in Maften has had a makeover of its spire and weathervane thanks to local tradesmen Michael Amos of Rusty Restorations and workers at Steeplejacks, who were able to help reopen the church for a wedding on September 1.

Priest of the church, Rachel Scheffer, said: "Immediately after Easter we became aware that the spire on Holy Trinity Church, Matfen, needed urgent repairs and that the weathervane could potentially be dangerous in bad weather.

"We were saddened to need to close both the church and churchyard for safety reasons. We knew that this meant that families wouldn’t be able to visit the graves of their loved ones and that the many people who come into the church building would be prevented from doing so.

"Our sadness at this however turned into a real energy and there has been a real community spirit around organising such a big and expensive project so quickly.

"Our heartfelt thanks go to the Diocese and Chancellor for helping sort emergency permissions, the churchwardens and members of the PCC who coordinated the whole project and fundraising campaign (the fundraising campaign continues for the second phase of works which needs to be done on the church to preserve it for future generations).

"Thanks also goes to Matfen Hall for hosting a fundraising afternoon tea and their generous donation, the individuals who have donated generously, and the grant-making organisations who have supported us so far. 

"It has been a delight to work with the Steeplejacks and Michael Amos from Rusty Restorations.

"Their skills and abilities have been fantastic and it is wonderful to see Michael restarting his family heritage of blacksmiths in the local area.

"We were particularly relieved and thrilled the work was complete just in time for the locals to go in and give the church a good clean in time for the wedding of Amy and Dan on September 1."